Squashes and Pumpkins

The pumpkins seem to be maturing early this year. This is one of my Rouge Vif D'Etamps pumpkins. I hope it will darken slightly to a rich ginger colour.

Here I am 'curing' the skin. When they are just picked the skins are still quite soft and you will be able to make an indent with the slightest touch of a fingernail. These will be left in a bright sunny place for a few weeks to harden the skin. They should ripen and mature which will help them keep for longer.

Here are my shallots Pikant. They are beautifully firm and luckily I managed to harvest them and dry them off before this spate of awful wet weather - mid August and it's dreadful here. These shallots are wonderfully sound if a bit small.

Here is one of my Yellow Straightneck squashes. I have been picking them at courgette size all Summer but I let this one get a bit bigger. A firmer creamier texture in my mind, a bit temperamental to grow, but I bought the seeds in the USA so perhaps they are not completely happy in the UK climate.